Means for handling and storing motor vehicles



Dec. 2, 1930.

G. LowENsTElN MEANS FOR HANDLING 'AND STORING'MOTOR VEHICLES Filed oct. 1v, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet G. LOWENSTEIN MEANS FOR HANDLING AND STORING MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Oct. 17.

Dec. 2, 1930.

y Patented Dec. 2, 1930 narran sr Ars-s e armi* o Fries j y GoTnAn-n Lownns'rnrn, or encontraA new YORK MEANs non HANDLING AND sronnaer -Mo'roavnnrotns AppIicat'onled 'October 17, E927( "Serial No. 226357.

This inventionrelates to means forstoring Vand handling automobiles' orothervvehlcles and more particularly refers to l-a novel and` lo The primary object of this invention is ed fto hold motor cars and like vehicles, making it possible to quickly turn aroundsaid- 15 vehicles 'Within ia restricted space in' order lto facilitate lthe distributiono11 removal of said vehicles from a garage floor.

Another object is to provide a `novel and' ofsaid'cars, within a relatively restricted- ,25 space: l

A further object ofthe invention is to pro- V`vide a'novel and improved larrangement of means for handling and storingvehic'les'in af garage, whereby a' maximum number of T vehicles may be stored -Vwithin a given space,

and wherebysaid vvehicles may be lreadily placed in their respective stalls or storage spaces andmay just as readily be removed therefrom without interfering with the other f vehicles on the floor. Y

A still further object is'to provide means of a noveland relatively simple construction for handling vehicles to be'stored on or rei moved `from a `garage floor, the nature of 40 said means being such that the same can be easily installed in existing garages without requiring the necessity of material alterations to the floors or other parts of the buildtther objects and advantages ofthe pres` ent invention will more fully :appearra's the description proceeds and will be set forth Aand claimed in'the appended claims.

The steering of motor cars within garages y ofthe ordinary vtype,iW-h'ich Aisr required when Y to provide a novel and'improved arrange-v ment of suspended` rotatable platform adapty the cars have ito reach or to leave their respective places of storage, makes it necessary 'to provide .a considerablefamount of 'open space on the garage floor, curtailing the storage capacity of said floor.V v

The various movements `required of a motor car under usualA conditions,` are `a frequent source i of accidents and 1 damage 'to moyto; cars stored on the premises, vbecause such movements are usually diliicult to perform G0 Yevenfor anexperience'd driver.

A lirect further consequence ofthese conditions, is also that considerable time is usually required lfor placing a car in its allotted space, and for removing it therefrom, sojthat G5 garage operationsas a whole suffer considerable delay, reflecting' :uponfthe service available for the users. Y i

rlDue to these and other considerations of the same character, it istherefore highly desirable'that means -be provided for the rapid yhandlingfof incoming and outgoing cars; and it is Aequally desirable that the means thus provided be of such a nature as-to permit Vthe maximum utilization lof Vthe `available floor 75 space. j

These results are `obtained by my present invention, the novel features of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Y I

Fig. 1 is a plan view of agar'age floor 'equipped with the means for handling'vehicles `forming one of the objects of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view inelevation :85 of the garage; Y,

Fig. 8 is a detail front view'inielevation partly sectioned of the travelingrotatable platform shown in Fig. 2 ;4

Fig. 4 is a side View in elevation of the 90 same; and y Fig. 5 is a plan sectional Viewfthrough line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The drawings representa single story garage 10 provided witha front doorll and -95 wide enough to accommodate two longitudinal rows of cars 12-13, 14-15, at each side, leaving a central runway 16. The cars are arranged transversely of the runway so that leach transversal stall or storage space ac- 100 commodates two cars, one in front of the other.

It follows that the cars are turned at right angle to the direction in which they enter or leave the garage. In order to facilitate the turning movement of the cars and their translatory movementI to a position on the central runway opposite their storage space, l provide a suspended platform 17 which is held very close to the floor and which is of a size suitable to receive a motor car.

Said platfrcm may be turned at any angle about a pivotal suspension plate 18 depending` from a carriage 19. Said carriage comprises a frame 20 and side wheels 21, 22 running on rails 23, 24, constituting overhead tracks for the structure.

The platform 17 is suspended from an upper member or frame 25 by means of four uprights. 26, 27, 28, 29. Said uprights are preferably threaded at the upper end as shown at 30 and are secured in position onto lugs 31 of frame 25 by means of nuts 32, 33.

By virtue of this arrangement, the distance of platform 17 from frame 25 can be carefully adjusted so that while the platform is held quite close to the floor 34 underneath, it does not actually abut against said Hoor, so that it is possible to freely move the platform along the floor and to rotate the cage formed by platform 17, frame 25 and uprights 26, 27, 28, 29 about its pivotal suspension.

Tracks 23, 24, extend from a peint at the front opposite the garage door to the rear of the building, above the center of runway 16.

When a car enters a garage, the platform is disposed longitudinallyof runway 16 as shown in Fig. 1, and the car can be driven on its own power directly on top of the platform. rllhe structure comprising carriage 19 and the cage depending therefrom is then caused to travel along the tracks until the place opposite the stall in which the car is to be stored is reached.

At this point, the travel of the carriage is stopped and the cage is rotated 90 degrees by hand to the right or to the left about its pivotal point of suspension, thus causing the car to turn with the platform on which it is supported to the tranversal direction necessary from the car to reach its storage space on its own power.

The tranversal position assumed by the platform at such times, is shown in vdotted lines at 17, in Fig. 1. The travel of the cage along the tracks may be effected by hand, or else it may be effected by any suitable driving mechansim such as for instance, a continuous cable, as shown at 34, attached at 35, 3G to the front and rear ends of the carriage. rlfhe movement of the cable may be produced in any desiredl manner by employing suitable driving gear which need not here be described.

lt is obvious that by virtue of this arrangement it is possible to quickly handle cars to and from their storage space on the garage floor, the required turning movements being always effected by means of the mechanism described, while the cars thus handled will only have to be driven in a straight direction to and from platform 17.

This arrangement leaves the floor entirely free of any obstruction and does not call for any depression or other alteration of the floor, so that the garage space may be used in the ordinary manner, if for any reason the handling mechanism should be out of commission.

Although it is obvious that the arrangement of traveling suspended platform described may be made to serve one single row of storage cars one each side, the drawings illustrate an application where each storage space alongside the runway can accommodate two rows of cars, one in front of the other. Thus referring to Fig. 1 it is seen that car 37 is stored directly in front of car 38, so that in order to withdraw car 38 it is necessary first to move car 39 to some other empty space, clearing the space in front of car 38.

Car 38 can then be driven upon platform 17 and can then be turned 90 degrees by said platform so as to be directly in line with the exit.

While some extra maneuvering is thus required in order to store or withdraw cars in the rows nearest to the side walls, when other cars are stored in front cf their storage spaces, considerably more space is utilized. than if the traveling platform is provided for single rows of cars only; furthermore, the cost of installation is proportionately lower. Therefore, when an arrangement such as shown in the drawings is adopted, it is suflicient to leave one or two free spaces in the inner rows, where cars from other spaces may be moved in order to clear the space in front of other cars stored in the outer rows.

The arrangement furthermore permits utilisation of the entire garage floor, since when the side rows are all filled, it is possible in an emergency to also store cars arranged in two adjoining longitudinal rows within the runway, as shown in dotted lines at 39, 4:0; a car may also be stored, if desired, on top of the platform which may be moved to the rear end of the floor as shown in dotted lines at 17.

ln practice, a solidly built structure suspended from a carriage having ample bearing surface will usually stay wherever it is put especially if braking means of any suitable type are provided, so that a car may be driven on or off the platform without any dii'liculty. However in order to avoid any undue strain upon the structure and in order to insure positive action at all times, means may be provided to prevent displacement of the platform dueto the action of a car being driven on or eff said platform.

F or instance, a simple mea-ns is illustrated i ontofsaidiuprights.

- nassgaee fiinfthe drawings where itis seenftha't the'p'lat- :forn'rs 'uprights are each iprovided 'with a sliding :plunger "el, provided `with `a fidowii- Wardly extending ipin 42 embedded iin rthe iieor oftliegarage. l

`Each slide is provided'with a Vhool; 'shaped 'retaining member 145 ada ted to enea O'e a sins b 2D b 46 laterfallyz` p roj ecting `from bushings Qdi-xe d i W'V'lieirthe slides are Iheld in `theirupward "or inoperative position as shown at "the right A i of l, pinsv i2 project through-the upper surface ofi platform 17 "but ,do not reach the lower surface offsaid .platform-so that they,` do `mot oiferanyhindrance.tothetranslatory and rotatory movements of saidplatform.

'lVhenztheplatform isrbroughttofanyone of f its car receiving or delivering npositions,'two

rolfit'he slidesat one endofsaidplatformanay fbe released, causing their pins'to 'drop Ywithin ft-he sockets underneatli, which are `placed to fsuitthe'operativeipositionsaof the platform.

' ,iForin-stance, two socketsimayf be provided "close'totheentrance as shown L'at 44', and two irows-o-f sockets shownat 44, 44may be :plaeediateachzside of therunway in positions fzcoiirespondingztothetransversal operativepoilsitions of the platform as-shown itt-17',

:By "virtue of this simple arrangement, the

iplatfoim is absolutely aprevent'ed fsf-rom-'being `:displaced by the impact-ofiacar being driven l'no von for offilthe platform and "angular displacements of the platform aboutiitsfpivotalsuspension are ilikewise :prevented The two ends of the platform are preferably made slanted as shown at 48 in order to facilitate the movement of the cars to and from said platform.

It is obvious that the traveling carriage i' and the cage or car suspended therefrom, may be constructed in ways dierent from that shown. The pivotal connection between said two elements can also be of a different design, without departing from the inventive idea.

The drawings will therefore be understood i as being intended for illustrative purposesl only and not in a limiting sense. Although the arrangement described is especially suitable for garage service, similar arrangements can also be used for other purposes such asI the storage and handling of merchandise of various descriptions, etc.

I therefore reserve myself the right to carry my invention into practice in all those ways and manners which may enter fairly into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a building for the purpose described,

the combination with a floor, of a carrier comprising an overhead traveling carriage, and a platform suspended at a set distance therefrom, said platform extending substantially down and being substantially parallel to the' level of said oor, allowing a small clearance underneath said platform just sufficient to` permit free-displacement of said platform along said floor. t j

.2. vIna building for the purposedescribed, the combination-with a floor, of a carrier comiprising an overheadtravelingcarriage7 and a platform suspended iat a set distance therefrom,said -platformsbeing adapted to extend substantially down and being substantially parallel to the-levelofsaid floor, and means for adjusting the distance of. saidplatform from said carriage, so as to permanently allow a clearance underneath said platfor'in just sufcient to permit free displacement ofsaid platform along said door.

3. In a building for the purpose described,

tliecombination with a'loor, of ai carrier ,com-

prising an overhead traveling carriage a lplatform suspended ata set distance therefrom, extending substantially down and :beingsubstantiallyl parallel to ithelevel of said Hoor, allowing asmall clearance underneath .said fplatform, just suificientto permit free ldisplacement of fsaid platformpalong said floor, and a vertical 'pivotal-connection bejtween -said carriage andplatforn`1. YA i i 4:. lIna building for the purposerdescribed,

theicombination withia'floonofacarrier com- LAprising `an overhead traveling carriage, a

platform suspended at "a `-set distance therefrom,l adapted 'to extendsubstantial@7 down and" being'.=substantially parallel to .zthe llevel .Y rof said :floorrmeans for adj ustingfthe distance of said platform -`fromsaid carriage, sofas -to permanently fallow fafclearance' underneath @small clearance underneath `said iplatform J-alonglsai'd I'floor, openings infsaid-ifloorlocated at certain 'predetermined positionsyandimovable -nieans associated :withf-,Said iplatform,

adapted to engage said openings in `orderto lretain said earrier against "displacement alongfsaidfloor.

' fIn-'a building forfthefpurpose described, :the 'combination with floor, iofffa vcanrier Lcomprising an 4overhead :traveling gcarri'age,

'a platformsuspendedV at Yazs'et distance-ithereifrom, fadap't'ed f to extend: substantially fdown andbeingfsubstantially parallel ".to 'the ilevel Vo'f said oor, means for :adjusting the distance of said Aplatform from `rsaidnarriage, :so as'to permanently allow afcleafrance under- -neath said platform ust sufficient to permit free 4displacementfof` saidplatformialong:said

fiio'o'r, a `vertical 1-piivotal -l'connecti'on -between saidlearri'age-and said platform, openings in Isaid if'oor, rlocated at ic-ertain predetermined positions, and movable means associated with said platform, adapted to engage said openings in order to retain said carrier against displacement along said floor.

7. In a building for the purpose described, the combination with a floor, of an overhead traclway, a carrier comprising a carriage movable along said trackway, and a platform suspended at a set distance from said carriage, said platform extending substantially down and being substantially parallel to the level i of said floor, allowing a small clearance underneath said platform just sufficient to permit free displacement of said platform along said floor.

S. ln a building for the purpose described, the combination with a floor, of an overhead trackway, a carrier comprising a carriage movable along said trackway, and a platform Vsuspended at a set distance from said carriage, said platform being adapted to eX- tend substantially down and being substantially parallel to the level of said floor, and means for adjusting the distance of said platform from said carriage, so as to permanently allow a clearance underneath said platform, sucient to `permit free displacement of said platform along said flocr.

9. In a building for the purpose described, the combination with a floor, of an overhead trackway, a carrier comprising a-carriage movable along said tracliway, and a platform suspended at a set distance from said carriage, said platform extending substantially down and being substantially parallel to the level of said floor, allowing aA small clearance underneath said platform `inst suflicient to permit free displacement of said platform along said floor, and a vertical pivotal connection between said carriage and platform.

10. In a building for the purpose described, the combination with a floor, of an overhead trackway, a carrier comprising a carriage movable along said trackway, and a platform suspended at a set distance from said carriage, said platform extending substantially down and being substantially parallel to the level of said floor, allowing a small clearance underneath said platform just suliicient to permit free displacement of l said platform along said floor, a vertical pivotal connection between said carriage and platform, openings in said floor located at certain predetermined positions, and movable means associated with said platform, adapted to engage said openings in order to retain said carrier against displacement along said floor.

11. In a building for the purpose de-` scribed, the combination with a floor, and an overhead trackway, of a carriage movable along said tracliway, a carrier frame member suspended from said carriage, a vertical pivotal connection between said carriage and frame member, uprights depending from said frame member, a platfrom suspended from said uprights, said platform being held substantially down to the level of said floor, allowing a small clearance underneath said platform, suficient to permit free displacement of said platform along said floor, openings in said floor, located at certain predetermined positions, and bolt members slidable on said uprights adapted for insertion through said openings, retaining said platform against displacement along said floor.

l2. In a building for the purpose described, the combination with a floor, and an overhead trackway, of a carriage movable along said traclway, a carrier frame member suspended from said carriage, a vertical pivotal connection between said carriage and frame member, axially adjustable uprights depending from said member, a platform .f-,

suspended from said uprights, said platform being held substantially down to the level of said floor, allowing a small clearance underneath said platform, suilicient to permit free displacement of said platform along said floor, openings in said floor, located at certain predetermined positions, bolt members slidable on said uprights adapted for insertion through said openings, retaining said platform against displacement along said floor, and means for retaining said bolt members in their inoperative position.

GOTHARD LOWENSTEIN.

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